CIAO DATE: 05/02

Georgetown Journal of International Affairs

Volume 1, Number 1, Winter/Spring 2000

 

Foreword from the Founding Editors
by Jeremy Goldberg & David Henschel

 

Dear Readers,

In 1997, a group of students at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service set out to establish a publication that would push the boundaries of traditional international affairs discourse and, in the process, appeal to a broad audience. The product is this, the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs.

From the outset, students have been the driving force behind the Journal’s expansive mission, and it is our hope that the graduate–undergraduate staff will continually test the limits of the discipline. Their proximity to government and business as well as to an exceptional faculty, to be sure, will keep this publication ahead of the curve.

For you, the reader, we offer comprehensiveness and accessibility. The Journal features interviews and articles–some by names you will recognize, and some by those who merit wider exposure–that cut across the discipline, providing fresh perspectives on complex issues. At the center of each issue is a Forum, where experts weigh in on a pressing topic from different angles.

This vehicle for thought and debate on international affairs has been the product of countless individuals, without whose efforts the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs could not have become a reality.

Miguel Buckenmeyer, co–founder of the Journal, deserves special mention. During the definitive 1997–98 academic year, Miguel played a critical role in the conceptualization the Journal. Since graduating from the MSFS program in 1998, he has served as the Journal ’s designer, spending countless hours developing its look and feel.

Editors–in–Chief Stephanie Kaplan and Ben Powell undertook the tremendous task of producing this inaugural issue. In our early days, Michael Rabjohns and Elias Soussou played indispensable roles. Beyond these individuals, scores of students have helped the Journal reach this point.

We are also grateful for the support of the School of Foreign Service and the Georgetown administration. Without Dean Robert Gallucci’s foresight, leadership, and support, this endeavor would not have been possible. We would also like to recognize Mary Carrasco and Christine Smith, as well as the Development Office and countless others in OAUR; Lisa Krim and the Legal Counsel’s Office; Associate Dean Jennifer Ward and the SFS Dean’s Office; and the Office of the President.

The support and guidance of the faculty has been invaluable as well. Special thanks to James Clad for his insight and inspiration; to Dean Emeritus Peter Krogh, Peter Dunkley, Carol Lancaster, Susan Pinkard, Howard Schaffer, and Casimir Yost; to original Advisory Circle members Anthony Arend, Michael Brown, John Esposito, Herbert Howe, Christopher Joyner, and George Shambaugh; and to all members who have joined us subsequently.

Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to the alumni and patrons who supported the Journal long before our authors had even put pen to paper.

And to the reader, we offer you a quote from an Editor’s Note in Foreign Policy three years ago that serves as our rallying cry: “Nearly three decades ago, Samuel Huntington, one of the founders of Foreign Policy, justified the decision to launch [the] journal by noting that the history of magazines concerned with foreign policy and international affairs [shows] that at each major turn in U.S. foreign policy, each shift in the U.S. role in the world, a new magazine has come into existence.”

We’re here.

Jeremy Goldberg

David Henschel